Improvement in elastic connections for rigging



i l i.

UNITED STATES HANsoN GREGORY, JE.,

PATENT OFFICE OF ROCKLAND, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN ELASTIC CONNECTIONS FOR RIGGING, &c.

Specification fr rmig part of Letters Patent Nal/19,745, dated April 14,1874; application filed November 12. 187:2.

YTo all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,HANsoN GREGORY, Jr., of Rockland, in the coimty ofKnox and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvement inConnecting-Shackles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the same, lwhich will enable thoseskilled in the art to construct and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, which form part of i this specification.

Figure 1 is anupright perspective view of the device. Fig. 2 is avertical central section of the same.

Two series of cylindrical rubber springs, situated in a cradle providedwith double heads, which are connected together by rods, and each of theseries of springs having at their interior bases circular disks providedwith perforations, through which the said rods pass, thus allowing theinterior disks freely to move longitudinally on the connecting-rods,have heretofore been employed in connection with eyebolts, one for eachseries of springs, and passing through the axes of the cylindricalseries of springs and the double head, therebyl allowing the interiordisks to move freely on said connecting-rods when actuated by a forceapplied to the eyebolts. In this construction an open space is leftbetween the interior disks, and any strain on the eyebolts compressesthe springs and retracts the eyev bolts beyond the end heads, thecyebolts and springs regaining their normal Vposition when the strain isremoved, thus forming an elastic connectiomthe advantages of which areobv1ous.

The elastic connection which I have above described is, however,objectionable, for the following reasons: An open space, as abovestated, is left between the interior disks, and when any strain is madeon the eyebolts, as in towing, for example, the obvious effect would beto compress the springs and par tially retract the eyebolts beyond theouter faces of the end heads of the elastic connection. If one of thetowing-cables in this condition were to break from the strain whichoften occurs, the eyebolts thus retracted from the end heads wouldsuddenly be projected forward, as an arrow from a bent bow, with a forceequal to the elastic force of the conipressed springs, and,there beingan open space between the disks and no resistance offered, the elasticforce of the springs, together with the momentum acquired by theeyebolts, would tend to break the parts, particularly the shoulders nearthe eyes of the eyebolts, which, being impelled forward by the elasticforce of the springs, would strike against the double heads. The' openspace between the interior sliding disks is likewise objectionable foranother reason, which is, that it is extremely liable, in warping in acold climate, to be filled with ice or oating matter, such as sticks oroating sea-weed. In towing, also, the cables, when no strain is uponthem, are apt, in comparatively shallow water, to rest at times upon thebottom of the sea; and under such circumstances the open space betweenthe interior disks is extremely liable to become clogged with mud andsand, and thus, as in the case of being clogged with ice or floatingmaterial, the elastic connection will become in a great degreeinoperative. To remedy these defects is the object Vof my invention; andto these ends it consists in the introduction, in the elastic connectionabove described, of a rubber cylindrical spring,which occupies the openspace in the above-mentioned construction, the spring performin g thedouble functions of taking up the recoil of the outer series of springsand preventing breakage of the parts, and at the same time filling upthe said open space to prevent the accumula tion of ice, mud, oriioating material, which tends, by filling up the open space, to renderthe connection inoperative to a great degree.

In the drawings, AA are metal disks, having holes near their outeredges, through which rods B pass. There are four of these disks and fiverods in this instance; but it is evident that the number of these may beincreased or diminished, as desired. G C C C are circular sections ofrubber or other suitable elastic between the sections of rubber, whichserve to steady and keep the same in place and guide the drawing-rods.The rods B are screw-threaded at their opposite ends, onwhich are placednuts a, or the rods may be headed.

E E are the drawingrods, which pass loosely substance or material. D I)are small disks through the centers of the disks and sections, and haveupon their inner ends nuts b b,^each resting upon a disk, A. The outerends e c of the drawing-rods I prefer to form into rings, as shown, buthooks may be used, or otherwise, as is obvious. The rods B prevent theouter disks from separating, and hold all of the said disks in the sainerelative position, one to the other, and still allow theln to move inthe direction of the rods, or longitudinally. The drawng-rods, as theypass through the rubber sections @,hold them in place, and thesesections are secured and protected by the outer rods B. Between thecentral disks A is placed a spring, d, of any suitable material orsubstance, the object ofwhieh is to relieve or take up any recoil of theother springs situated on eitherside.

The device operates as follows: The attach ying-gear, ropes, chains, orrigid connections are attached to the rings or hooks of thedrawing-rods, and any force or strain applied to these causes the innerdisks to move in opposite directions or outward, and thus graduallyTcompress the springs C, giving an elastic and steady strain.

,The shackle may be changed and used, if desired, as follows, viz: Oneof the interior disks A and the pulling-rod corresponding thereto couldbe removed, and a head or nutted ring or hook be attached to one of theouter disks A. For light work this would answer.

I am aware that elastic connections have heretofore been employed withtwo series of springs in a cradle, each series having an eyebolt passingthrough them, and an open space between them; and I therefore lay noclaim to -such invention.

